Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest

Chapter 434 99.3 - End of the semester

Chapter 434 99.3 - End of the semester

As the initial excitement of seeing their grades settled, the students began to compare their results with one another, filling the room with a renewed buzz of conversation.

Julia turned to Lilia, her eyes shining with pride. "I nailed the practical exams! All that extra training really paid off."

Lilia nodded, and a slight smile appeared on her lips. "Heh? What grade did you get? Just to remind you, since both of my duels were flawless wins, my practical score is full-marked." She said while flipping her hair around.

With her slight gesture, she looked really beautiful, as if the fragrance of nature spread across the place.

"Of course, I got full marks too. What do you think I would get anything else, huh?" Julia rose up from her seat, but it was evident that she was acting and was just being a tease.

Ethan, still leaning back casually, looked at his friends and chuckled. "You guys are making me feel like a slacker."

"..." As Ethan talked, the two girls just narrowed their eyes and stayed silent.

"Hey, hey.....What happened? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Julia playfully rolled her eyes. "You..... We all knew you were just as capable. You just liked to play it cool. But, who would have thought you were such a monster."

"That is coming from you." Ethan retorted, recalling what happened at Julia's duel.

"Indeed....."

"Lucas, did you say something?"

"Ah....I just said, you both did good."

"It is not like you performed badly? Your duel was kind of badass, too."

"Ah....Right....." Lucas shrugged, a faint smile on his lips. "I did okay, I guess. But seeing you two in action was pretty impressive."

Julia smirked, playfully nudging her brother. "Don't sell yourself short, Lucas. Your duel was awesome, especially that last move. Where did you even learn that?"

Lucas glanced away, his expression thoughtful. "Just something I picked up during training. I've been trying to incorporate more advanced techniques."

Lilia nodded, her eyes narrowing slightly. "It was more than just an advanced technique. That light manipulation was incredible."

"As expected, you saw it through right away."

"Well...There is a reason why I am ranked fourth now." Lilia smirked as she answered. There was a triumphant expression on her face.

"What?" Julia asked, her eyes widening in surprise. "You got rank four?"

Lilia nodded, a proud smile spreading across her face. "After beating the fourth-ranked student, it was evident that I would at least raise my rank by one. But, it seems I didn't quite make it to third."

Ethan raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Why not? You were amazing out there."

Lilia sighed, her expression turning more thoughtful. "The duel between these two mages, Seraphina and Irina, was on another level. They displayed techniques and mana control that were beyond what I had displayed. Not that I couldn't do the same. It is just the difference between the display."

At that moment, hearing this, everyone turned their attention to the girl who was keeping it quiet all the time.

"Ho.....So you are saying you can do better than Irina?" Julia mumbled with a teasing smile on her lips.

Irina, seemingly lost in her thoughts, didn't reply, her mind clearly elsewhere. Julia, always the one to stir things up, reached out and touched Irina on the side of her belly, making her flinch.

"Huh? What?" Irina snapped back to reality, her face turning slightly red with embarrassment. "Julia, what was that for?"

Julia grinned, enjoying the reaction. "Just making sure you're still with us. You seemed a bit out of it."

Irina narrowed her eyes at Julia, a mix of irritation and amusement on her face. "Well, I'm here now. And for the record, everyone can say they can do better, but it is the actions that speak. And the results say everything themselves, don't they?"

"..." Lilia's eyes were a bit narrowed, but she didn't refute. Well, more like she couldn't since Irina was right.

She thought, with a smirk on her face.

"What are you thinking about, smirking like that? It is a bit creepy." Julia remarked, seeing Irina's face.

"Nothing," Irina replied. And then, she rose up. "I need to leave."

With a newfound determination, Irina gathered her things and made her way towards the door, as well.

"Where? Hey! We are going to eat for one last time. Are you coming?"

Julia asked, yet she didn't receive any answer.

"...."

Since Irina was busy, her mind focused on confronting a certain someone. She wanted to see the look on his face when she revealed her grades and claimed her victory.

As she stepped out into the hallway, she spotted Astron a few paces ahead, walking calmly as if he had all the time in the world. Quickening her pace, she looked as if she was running, trying to catch him.

'He must have turned from here.' She thought and then turned sideways.

"Bam...."

Suddenly, something appeared right before her face. Something dark, as if of a black hand.

'Hiiiick!' Flinching and losing her balance, she was surprised; she stumbled, barely managing to catch herself. Her senses did not pick anything at all, and she was sure there was nothing there.

"You need to watch your step," a small voice said.

Irina raised her face and saw Astron standing before her. There was a very subtle smile on his face, just enough to be noticeable.

"You...!" Irina started, regaining her composure.

'Of course, it was him!' She thought.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her tone a bit angrily.

"Waiting for certain someone, of course. Did you really think I would run away?"

Irina clenched her fists and pouted a little, her frustration evident. "Shut up," she snapped. "Show me your grade."

Astron raised an eyebrow, his subtle smile still in place. "So you did think I would run away?"

"Shut up," Irina repeated, her tone firmer. "Just show me your grade."

Astron shook his head, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Are you really ready for this? There's no need to rush the inevitable."

"I couldn't be more ready," Irina insisted, her eyes burning with determination. "Let's get this over with."

With a slight nod, Astron held up his smartwatch, revealing his grade.

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Introduction to Mana Theory Grade: 100//100

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Irina's eyes widened after seeing the grade.

She turned to look at him, only to see something different in his eyes.

"I just said this before, but let me say it again."

He stopped walking over her a little.

"Never underestimate me just because I am going easy on others."